This is the main entrance to the Casino – as such, it is substantially guarded and monitored. Entering requires passing through two thick steel double doors, the first of which bears scars of previous attempts by law enforcement groups at breaking and entering. The amount of force required to break through them is probably beyond the capabilities of one Pokemon, or even a team of six. Since everyone in the daylight hours is posing as a trainer in search of a good time and quick riches, however, the doors will open for you... for now.

Once inside, entrants are greeted by a pair of guards on either side of the entryway - an Aegislash on the left, and a Metagross on the right. They wear little guard hats atop their heads with a Jirachi on them to indicate their positions. The Metagross in particular regards everyone with suspicion, but merely keeps an eye on the crowd.

Behind Aegislash are some more practical features of the lobby, such as a check-in counter/help desk, restrooms and a small souvenir shop. There is also an ELEVATOR near the restrooms. Behind Metagross are some plush couches for patrons to sit and relax, as well as the STAIRWAYS leading UPSTAIRS and DOWNSTAIRS. Two more guard Pokemon – an Arcanine sitting calmly by the help desk, and a Machamp in a Jirachi's Casino leather jacket (with four arm holes, of course) wandering about – make four in total.

In the center of the lobby is a massive fountain, lit by natural light from a star-shaped window above. The fountain depicts Jirachi, water spewing forth from his third eye, as statues of various Pokemon swim and play happily in the pool of water below. Behind this statue, one can continue STRAIGHT AHEAD to explore the rest of this floor. If the mood strikes you, of course, you could always turn around and go back OUTSIDE.

There are seven visible security cameras around the room – two point at the front door, one points at the check-out counter, one points at the fountain's back side, one points at the stairwell and one points at the entrance to the elevator.

Where will you explore first?

Before she was a trainer, Mélina had quite the history with casinos. She responsibly did some bettings time to time for fun before the government reform, but that "history" went further... and more complicated than that. In the middle of a controversy between them and Silph Co. for finding a wild Porygon (back when it was only available in the gambling establishments), received as gifts two wonderful Eevees and many coins for her gruesome work at testing quite a few machines and applications created by them, won an exclusive Cosplay Pikachu from a raffle ticket... Her name sure was thrown here and there in the news between the blinging sounds of slot machines. Although all this was now in the past, it still to this day influenced her present livelihood: with the Pokémon friends she found and the coins she saved through them, she was able to live through the difficulties of blossoming into the Pokémon training routine late in life, and to build her very own fashion boutique (which she hopes she can open soon). She had nothing to worry about... until recently.

On one morning, Mélina woke up yet again on one of the bunkbeds within a Pokécenter. She was slowly starting to get used to them, but they were never as comfortable as an actual big home bed. Perhaps, she thought, it would be a good time to look into finding a good spot to build one of those "secret bases" trainers are into these days, so she could sleep in a more comfy mattress. Some might see secret bases as just a hideout, but through her adult's eyes, she saw it as the best home you could ever get without paying rent or getting a mortgage. She probably would still have to pay for utilities, and perhaps-

Her train of thought derailed as her cellphone vibrated and played with a particular sound, with which she knew already who was messaging her.

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:03 AM
Erm I have no idea what youre saying Glitch O.o Apart girl and pwned
English plz?
youre a Porygon and all but u really should get some rest in your Pokéball
instead of hacking the net all night ^^;

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:09 AM
1 really dont sorry; wish I did FOR both your wallet and my pride;
Data is clean; TraceOfHacking = FALSE;
...but n0w that I process more bout it;
There was no trace of the coin$ being withdrawn either;
Which is suspicious af;
cld mean only 1 thing… OR another;
brb;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:10 AM
Kk…

Mélina bit her lip, worried about what happened to her precious stash of coins she accumulated over the years. She wish she should have save up more and spent it when she could, to get perhaps a new member in her team, or at least a little something to treat her current team… what just happened? As she heard her phone’s notification after a few minutes of silence, she hoped Glitch had the answer.

Quote:

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:21 AM
Back;
K so;
looked into the admin accounts;
couldnt go far cuz security is super tight obvs, but more than I ever saw b4;
but altho all transactions history has been wiped, login history hasn't;
IP numbers are consistant;
so either adm account passwords has been stolen from a source outside the sys and has been logged in with the same computers they use, which would explain why I cant find any trace of hacking;
(also gdi ppl its not hacking when the account is already logged in the computer or you found the pwd on a post-it </rant>);
o0oor it could be done by the adm themselves;

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:24 AM
TL;DR: Were not alone, Tons of peeps if not friggn every1 with coin exchange accounts, got their balance vanished;
My latter theory was the TRUE one; according to police investigation the source is Jirachi’s Casino, believe it or NOT;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:25 AM
AAAAAAAAND!? Cant we just sue them or something? Doesnt that mean the authorities caught and stopped them and give our money back??

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:25 AM
Tis not as simple I'm afraid;
Yes the police found the evidence against them but they werent able to catch them - and get all that money back and find all the missing items and Pokémon;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:26 AM
Pokémon????

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:27 AM
oh ya I forgot;
all other casinos turned into abandoned buildings;
and the Pokémon and items that were in them are gone without a trace - except for 1 luky Mime Jr fellow who somehow slipped out of their cracks & ended up being the main witness of the whole thing;
Otherwise all other Pkmn that either were kept in the casinos or was supposed to be shipped to them got 404’d;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:28 AM
;(

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:28 AM
Yeah =( Dont like the sound of dis either;
Anyways;
cording to reports, the JC amped up the security everywhere;
building, guards, server firewalls and encryption, u name i++;
Its basically a fortress now;
u know they arent messing around when even the popo cant hack thru;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:29 AM
Holy Karp

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:28 AM
got one glimpse of hope tho;
and we can help;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:29 AM
Oh? What?

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:30 AM
Well its weird;
I would think those rum0rs couldve been found only rolling in the Deep Web
but FALSE;
Its friggin everywhere; typed in blogs, online news, tv news, u name it;
(which is dum 4 what they wanna do imo but 1 digress);
Theres a call to arms, so to speak;
since the authoriteh have failed, ppl are organizing together a raid of sorts to steal some stuff from the JC in retaliation of, well, them stealing;
any1 can join, force in 01101110011101010110110101100010011001010111001001 110011;
reasons ranges from getting property back, revenge, possibility of finding and saving lost Casino Pokémon, out of curiosity, for the lulz, a challenge…;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:31 AM
Yeah I get the point
I totally want to go in

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:28 AM
...You srs?
Its dangerous;
1 know we g0t in a bit of trouble for hacking our way thru stuff we werent supposed to but;
We’ve only just started in that training thing;
and were talking about the Jirachi Casino here;
The 1 where this whole legal crap happened cuz of me + 1 of our past biggest clients… we know what we are going against;

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:31 AM
Dude, this is exactly why we should go in
We know who they are, more than anyone else.
They may have changed in a lot of their stuff, but we know how they were, and old habits are hard to break
And true, we’ll probably get in trouble, but we’re not alone. And whenever we join in or not, I’m sure the casino will go down.
And since our face was with them often, I’m afraid that if we don’t join in, we actually look pretty suspicious and get in worse trouble than just doing nothing. Some people doesnt make the difference between the different hacking hats
So I rather join in to use our knowledge to have a chance to help out on a good (but risky) cause AND get something back out of the whole thing, than just pull out the goodie-two-shoes card and not only get nothing out of our hard work and others probably gonna attack us thinking we were part into stealing everyone’s coins.

10100111001H4XnCЯ40ЯZ - Today at 9:33 AM
...Arceus ure right;
I didn’t process about it in that angle;
K lets do it. Lemme scan into it more today to get all the deets, and I’ll brief you 10morrow of it AND make a plan of atk; sound c00l?

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:33 AM
Sounds like a plan. I’ll do what I can not to bother you or use my phone through the day so you can focus on that.

PixlPurrfect - Today at 9:34 AM
No, thank you! If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve been in much more trouble

Mélina sighed nervously after she puts her phone on sleep mode. She was confident of her decision, but did she underestimate the danger she and her team was getting into? She didn't know, but she felt there was no turning back on her decision now. All she can do now is to trust herself and her faithful friend.

On the next day, the ex-QA consultant walked into Jirachi’s Casino, cellphone in hand, taking many pictures. She was barely recognizable though, as she dressed up in the complete opposite that she used to: long, white dress with a flowery blue pattern, matching sandals, one of those special “anti-paparazzi” scarfs around her neck, big sunglasses, and a large summer hat. She felt uncomfortable in that getup in many ways, compared to her usual t-shirt, jeans and running shoes, but she knew she had to put up with it, as per Glitch’s instructions, so she can explore the casino’s premises without being identified by the cameras.

“Geez you weren't kidding,” the woman talked what seemed to be to herself while walking through the lobby, but pressing her index against her ear, “it completely changed, from the design, the layout… everything.”

“Told you,” Glitch said in a robotic voice, using the phone’s text to speech app to translate its writing into spoken words that its trainer can hear through her Bluetooth earpiece. “The renovations didn't last long, yet they managed to modify that much. Just like you when you changed this morning! Hahahahaha.”

“Shut up, you're not the one having to dress up all different and 'fancy’ for this special occasion,” she snapped, before pausing and sighing to herself to calm herself down. It wasn't the time to pick a fight with her partner in crime, she thought. “Anyways, what's the plan for this fine afternoon?”

“Right. I'm both scanning through your pictures and reading over online discussions of other fellows so we can sync our actions with them.” The Porygon paused for a moment before continuing. “Ok, according to the up to date info, seems like everyone has spread out more or less evenly in the premises, so we can go anywhere without impacting the all-around coverage. That said… my suggestion would be… the ELEVATORS, the first one to be exact. We’ll have an easier access to the different floors from there. Plus, a fellow hacker has taken care of the security camera in that particular lift, so we'll be safe in there. Oh, and since everyone only went up or down a floor via stairs, it would be interesting to go on any of the third floors.”

“Sounds like a wonderful party,” Mélina let out in a glee, while doing her best not to reveal the true intent of her conversation and heading into lift #1. “Where is the best free wifi connection here, if there's some? Would be a shame if I had to pay extra for just a silly password… Especially since that mobile data is going to cost me an arm and a leg today. We would need to connect somewhere to get all our SQL news...”

“No worries Méli, got you covered with the… internet connection already. More seriously though, no info on the whereabouts of the database servers yet, I'm afraid. Only the surveillance system’s location has been more or less found, and someone’s already taking care of it. So until its location is discovered, or at least a computer directly connected to it and that has full access, best just doing some basic investigation where nobody has looked yet, while I stay away from hacking business for now.”

“Gotcha,” the trainer responded while taking one last picture of the elevator. “3rd floor, here we go.”

She wasn’t sure which “third” floor to pick, so out of curiosity for not understanding it, pressed the P3F button of the elevator, thinking this might be a private/employee floor, and hoped to have a good look there… without getting caught. (At worse, she imagined, she could say she pressed the wrong button and wanted to go to the "3F" floor...)

Check-in/Help Desk (Schala) – The desk is a relatively new feature at the Casino, though what was once a friendly repository of maps, directories, coupons and various forms of assistance has become a cold, stark desk plastered with what can only be described as Jirachi-themed propaganda – countless painted images of smiling people whose wishes have come true thanks to the legend. Most striking among these is an image of Jirachi smiting the other legendaries with an explosive blast, with the statement above: “Believe in your wishes, not in false gods!”

In contrast to the Souvenir Shop and Bathroom on either side of it, the Check-In/Help Desk has at least one camera focused on it at all times. It is also notable that the guard Arcanine stationed here never leaves her post, and the wandering Machamp seems to stop here on his route rather frequently. The desk is far more massive than it should be – thicker and taller than most desks of its kind. The woman at the counter has a rather doll-like, expressionless face – her speech is curt – her tone dismissive. For a help desk, she seems a rather poor choice of helper.

As Ami leaves the counter with a somewhat irritated expression, Eskil and Nyx approach. The woman seems to intentionally avoid eye contact as she responds with a rather listless, over-rehearsed “If you're lost, just follow your heart -” Rather than provide Eskil with a map like a typical help desk associate would, however, she hands him two purple coins with Jirachi's face emblazoned on them. “One for a wish, and one for a spin,” she offers by way of explanation. “Now, off you go,” she spits, making an eerily robotic motion to shoo him away.

While this exchange goes on, Nyx catches sight of something behind the counter. It would be a long shot, given the security, but a natural thief like Purrloin might have a shot at swiping it. Is it worth the risk?

The woman at the help desk responds robotically to the pair with a phrase that gives Eskil no useful information, and a pair of coins that look nothing like the few Belial had scrounged up. With a few curt parting words, she dismisses him, but at least he has a clue what the coins are for. At a bit of a loss, he turns away from the unsettling woman and her desk.

Nyx notices something behind the counter but stays where she is. Her orders are to observe, not to act. She notes the guards and cameras as instructed.

Eskil stops by the fountain, a likely place for the first part of the parting words. One for a wish. There, he speaks to Nyx in quiet tones while the two observe the fountain.

“That was unhelpful. And creepy.” He starts.

“Very much so. I’m not entirely convinced we were talking to a real person.” She mutters back. “I did see some cameras and notice some things about the guards, however.”

As she relays the information, Eskil stares at the coin in his hand.

She finishes her report, and then notices his focus. “Are you going to make a wish?”

“It seems dumb. Not like it’ll do anything for me.”

“Can’t hurt either. Plus you’ll blend in better.” She retorts.

“What would I even wish for?” Nyx has no response. Or perhaps too many. Several things float around in his head, ranging from the general, sometimes smartass answers to hypothetical wishes, to very personal ones (three more wishes/1 million dollars/my memories).

The two stand in tense silence for a long moment. Eskil makes a decision and tosses the coin into the fountain.

“For the strength and luck to see things through to the end.” He mutters. Both for this little escapade and his own journey.

Nyx relaxes on his shoulder. “That’s your wish?” She sounds relieved. Eskil doesn’t know why, but he can’t bring himself to ask.

Instead he responds with a defensive “What’s wrong with it?” and let’s her behavior pass. For now.

“It’s just so...bland. Waste of a wish, in my opinion.” She responds, with a significant look, all traces of oddity gone.

“Then maybe you should have given me some suggestions!” He complains. She says nothing.

“We should find the place for a ‘spin’ next. Where do you think it would be?” He continues, after it is clear she won’t.

Nyx waves a paw at the area straight ahead. “Let’s explore the rest of this floor before we head elsewhere.”

With a nod, Eskil sets off, clutching the other coin and trying to focus on why he’s here rather than Nyx’s behavior. “Keep an eye out.” He reminds her. We can talk later.

A place where sin is rampant. The sin of Greed. Money changes hands freely here, although mostly from the hands of the players into the hands of the owners. The Casino, which has acted as a focal point for wealth all over the world, was completely suspicious and yet, until now, no one had discovered its secrets. It was like a living singularity; a place outside the normal, where it seems that things were being rewritten. A place that shuns outsiders who do not respect the notion of Greed. One can simply not be virtuous of heart and survive here. Either you would be driven out or be consumed by greed, by lust, by covetousness. Will you be able to keep your wits here as you traverse its halls, or will the Casino's power envelope you as well?

As your small group moves downstairs, it seems that you've evaded detection, for now. What seems to be a bigger issue is that when you come downstairs, it seems that the lower floor of the Casino is far bigger than any of you realized. You come out to a hallway that seems to stretch out forever, with a number of completely undescript doors on either side. None of them are labeled, leaving you all completely confused as to how anyone is able to find there way around here. A look ahead reveals there is an intersection where another hallway crosses the one you are in, but there is no telling what is in that hallway, nor how big it is. You may have potentially walked into something as large and as complex as a labyrinth. Truly things had to be simpler than they appeared to be, right? How else would the Casino even function? Your minds fill up with questions, but there definitely seem to be a few obvious facts. If there is anyone down here, they don't seem to be moving too much in the part of the Casino you're in, and there aren't any security cameras either. The doors look like they could be opened rather easily as well, even if they are locked. The place is also impeccably clean: if you were looking for any stolen goods, cash, or Pokemon now, you'd be sure to come up empty.

Nobody in your group seems to be in any abnormal state. What will you do?

Well, this was...great. A corridor lined with doors and no convenient labels to point the way to anything useful. At least, nothing useful to him or the rest of this group, one of whom had declared themselves to be searching for the surveillance room.

Aiden glanced around at the others, counting one Pokémon for every trainer, and he hoped no one noticed that he...didn't exactly have one. Yet, he hoped, but that still made things a bit...difficult when it came to reconnaissance and attempting to investigate the place. Or distracting, as Magnemite guy suggested. He thought Woobat girl might be whispering something to her Woobat, but Aiden didn't try to eavesdrop.

"I'm gonna go take a look at the intersection. See if there's anything interesting down that way, instead of...doors." He figured he might as well let them know what he was planning, since it looked like they might be working together?

He shrugged in response to Magnemite guy's request for a distraction and headed down the corridor, peering at the doors as he passed by but mostly interested in where the intersection led. Hopefully, somewhere more useful in trying to figure out where they stored the prize Pokémon, but if not, he might go back to investigate what's behind the doors. Though, if they were as nondescript as they looked from the base of the stairs, he'd probably consider continuing on and letting the others investigate if they wanted, instead of opening all the doors himself. Mostly, he was hoping they didn't have invisible precautions down here because he highly doubted he'd notice until the guards dropped by to turn him back.

A place where sin is rampant. The sin of Greed. Money changes hands freely here, although mostly from the hands of the players into the hands of the owners. The Casino, which has acted as a focal point for wealth all over the world, was completely suspicious and yet, until now, no one had discovered its secrets. It was like a living singularity; a place outside the normal, where it seems that things were being rewritten. A place that shuns outsiders who do not respect the notion of Greed. One can simply not be virtuous of heart and survive here. Either you would be driven out or be consumed by greed, by lust, by covetousness. Will you be able to keep your wits here as you traverse its halls, or will the Casino's power envelope you as well?

As your small group moves downstairs, it seems that you've evaded detection, for now. What seems to be a bigger issue is that when you come downstairs, it seems that the lower floor of the Casino is far bigger than any of you realized. You come out to a hallway that seems to stretch out forever, with a number of completely undescript doors on either side. None of them are labeled, leaving you all completely confused as to how anyone is able to find there way around here. A look ahead reveals there is an intersection where another hallway crosses the one you are in, but there is no telling what is in that hallway, nor how big it is. You may have potentially walked into something as large and as complex as a labyrinth. Truly things had to be simpler than they appeared to be, right? How else would the Casino even function? Your minds fill up with questions, but there definitely seem to be a few obvious facts. If there is anyone down here, they don't seem to be moving too much in the part of the Casino you're in, and there aren't any security cameras either. The doors look like they could be opened rather easily as well, even if they are locked. The place is also impeccably clean: if you were looking for any stolen goods, cash, or Pokemon now, you'd be sure to come up empty.

Nobody in your group seems to be in any abnormal state. What will you do?

As I thought. I am not alone in this endeavour.

Others had decided to stay around the areas of the Casino players are expected to remain in. But this group, six Trainers in total, had thought differently. The monk had somewhat hoped not too many would share the same course of action as him, but as it turned out, there were half a dozen of them here now, and if that wasn't suspicious in of itself, the majority of these Trainers had Pokémon out and about with them. Indeed, not suspicious at all.

Stick to the shadows, Shiou. Others need not see you, not until the time is right.

His own shadow twirled unnaturally, the Gastly dwelling in it acquiescing in his own peculiar way. Sai had plans to fully utilize his Ghost partner's unique abilities, and if they could be of help to someone else, all the better. But for now, being as inconspicuous as possible was the priority, even if there no signs of surveillance cameras or guards on their toes - besides, he wasn't here to retrieve anything of value for himself, because he'd lost nothing to begin with. This was a scouting mission only, because as his mentor often said, preparation was the cornerstone of victory. Though something did seem odd - why would a Casino's lower floor be entirely unguarded? It was unwise at the very least, unless it was an intentional trap - in which case they'd already crawled into the beast's open maw, and seeing their fates unfurl would be the only remaining option.

Fortunately, Shiou is a special Gastly; he has the tools to make a daring escape if the need arises.

He opted to approach the man with the Magnemite first. The monk kept his arms crossed and hands inside his sleeves, staring at the ground the entire time instead of making eye contact. He kept his voice low, but made sure the other man knew he was being addressed.

"I have a companion who can be our eyes behind closed doors," he whispered. "If you agree, I will send him ahead to search for that surveillance room you seek, should there be one."

He turned his focus to Shiou, and mentally relayed his plan to the trickster spirit.

I require your assistance. Remain invisible and phase through these doors; let us know what lies beyond, which ones are worth opening. We cannot afford to proceed blindly, our time is short. Teleport back to my own shadow if danger surfaces.

Again the monk's shadow twisted and turned, and a pair of eyes blinked in the darkness ever-so-briefly. Shiou seemed in agreement with the instructions - at least as long as he was amused, Sai knew the phantom would comply...

Elevator (Patches, TKF, Brave Saix, PikaGod) – A pair of elevators bear the responsibility of ferrying trainers and Pokemon from one floor to the next. Though fairly spacious, the space is rather unremarkable – the walls and ceiling are mirrored if you need to check yourself (before you wreck yourself).

Available floors are BF, P1F, 1F, P2F, 2F, P3F, 3F and ROOF. There are also buttons for Open Door, Close Door and an EMERGENCY STOP button.

Jayson, who attempts to order Odysseus to disrupt the surveillance camera, is... well, caught on the surveillance camera the moment the disruptions become apparent. He's cut off by the sudden appearance of a rather stern-looking Alakazam in a Jirachi's Casino hat, who teleports in out of seemingly nowhere. Soon, Jayson experiences the feeling of his own body being made ethereal – being removed from this very plane of existence – only to reappear back in the lobby with his Magnemite. The guards have their eye on Jayson and Odysseus. Even so, the risk is not completely without reward – Lift 1 surveillance camera is Out of Order. Also, the preliminary trace reveals to Magnemite that the surveillance system is being controlled on a floor beneath the lobby. Odysseus, though visibly shaken, is stronger for the experience. Odysseus gains 1 level.

Sypher doesn't fare much better in the other lift – though his attempt at using the “EMERGENCY STOP” button does, indeed, stop the elevator between floors, it also encourages a ghostly Gengar Guard (a GenGuard?) to float through the walls and investigate the lift, grinning wide as he smashes the “2F” button hard in response to the supposed “emergency”. Though Jill is able to fly through a rather promising looking vent between 2F and P3F, her trainer plummets in the elevator with the cackling guard – though only a short distance, the jostling motion is thoroughly disorienting – though not nearly as bad as being unceremoniously thrown out of the elevator back into the lobby by an insane Gengar. The guards have their eye on Sypher. She will likely fly back some time later to give a full report to Sypher – if she can find him.

Melody, who is third to the elevator, tries to close the door as soon as she enters the space – only to find that the button is jammed. A throng of tourists enter the elevator – but given the presence of the guards, being surrounded by the din of other people works as a sort of camouflage. The throng is followed by the eager Patches, who presses every single button in the elevator... including the Emergency Stop. Both the Alakazam and the Gengar end up in the lift with Patches and Melody, rolling their eyes. Seems like the elevator attracts all the troublemakers... They seem to debate unceremoniously throwing Patches out, but decide to simply keep their eyes on her. She may serve as a temporary distraction... Though the lift she has boarded (Lift 2) still has an operating surveillance camera.

Jason and Sypher may attempt to board the elevator again, or may try their luck elsewhere.

So far, everything had been going perfectly for Patches. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was that she was getting to ride the elevator with so many people, she definitely picked the perfect time to board since she loved being in crowded places. She even got a bonus when she pressed the emergency stop and it caused the two Jirachi hat wearing guards to ride along as well. She couldn’t help but feel an urge to press it again in hopes that even more Jirachi hat wearing Pokemon would get on too but decided to resist since she wasn’t sure if any more could even fit.

Her Pikachu, Mio, who was riding on her shoulder couldn’t help but feel frustrated at her trainer and is just hoping that they can make some progress on whatever floor they end up on. Patches notices that everyone is being very quiet which she finds odd considering there are so many people and Pokemon in one place. “Isn’t everyone having a great time?” She says in an attempt to break the silence. She stands there waiting for a response and none seems to come so instead she just stares at the adorable hats on the Gengar and Alakazam’s heads while imagining what one would look like on her Charmander back home. “Mio, I think I want to ride this as long as possible so I’m probably not going to get off until the last stop.” She says to her companion. Mio looks at the buttons and figures that means that they might end up on the roof at that point. Since they don’t really have a specific place to start in mind, that might actually work out to their advantage so Mio decides to not protest and continues to wait.

A place where sin is rampant. The sin of Greed. Money changes hands freely here, although mostly from the hands of the players into the hands of the owners. The Casino, which has acted as a focal point for wealth all over the world, was completely suspicious and yet, until now, no one had discovered its secrets. It was like a living singularity; a place outside the normal, where it seems that things were being rewritten. A place that shuns outsiders who do not respect the notion of Greed. One can simply not be virtuous of heart and survive here. Either you would be driven out or be consumed by greed, by lust, by covetousness. Will you be able to keep your wits here as you traverse its halls, or will the Casino's power envelope you as well?

As your small group moves downstairs, it seems that you've evaded detection, for now. What seems to be a bigger issue is that when you come downstairs, it seems that the lower floor of the Casino is far bigger than any of you realized. You come out to a hallway that seems to stretch out forever, with a number of completely undescript doors on either side. None of them are labeled, leaving you all completely confused as to how anyone is able to find there way around here. A look ahead reveals there is an intersection where another hallway crosses the one you are in, but there is no telling what is in that hallway, nor how big it is. You may have potentially walked into something as large and as complex as a labyrinth. Truly things had to be simpler than they appeared to be, right? How else would the Casino even function? Your minds fill up with questions, but there definitely seem to be a few obvious facts. If there is anyone down here, they don't seem to be moving too much in the part of the Casino you're in, and there aren't any security cameras either. The doors look like they could be opened rather easily as well, even if they are locked. The place is also impeccably clean: if you were looking for any stolen goods, cash, or Pokemon now, you'd be sure to come up empty.

Nobody in your group seems to be in any abnormal state. What will you do?

"This is uncanny."

"kKyuk..."

Hiero and Noppera stared into the distance of the long corridor, seeming to have no end in sight, and lined with doors on either side. The place was pristine and fresh, and aside from the small group of trainers alongside him, the place was also unusually quiet. Some of the other trainers, and their Pokemon, began to examine the doors, others opting to turn down the intersecting hallway dead ahead. Hiero recognized one of them as one of the trainers he had teamed up with from the War of the Roses event in the Cloud Garden, but he bit his tongue and opted to not acknowledge her. He hoped that she would do the same.

Hiero bit his thumb and looked around. No security cameras. In fact, no security whatsoever. "Something isn't right. I can't put my finger on it, but something here isn't right," Hiero said with a troubled voice. "Except I can put my finger on it. This seems so incredibly fake. This is so utterly unrealistic - this is all clearly one big setup of some kind. They're hiding something," he thought to himself. He needed to keep that line of thinking to himself for now, though; despite not seeing any form of security, he needed to at least consider the possibility that the walls had ears. He looked at his Mimikyu and perked up suddenly. This was a casino, after all - he needed to wear his best poker face. That meant disassociating himself with the trainers that had accompanied him downstairs and maintaining a sense of casual naivety.

And then he remembered the letter he had received from Tate.

"Mr. Shadow, the world is changing. The natural order has shifted, and things cannot sustain themselves,"

"Mr. Shadow". Right... that's right. "When we are alone with the shadows... we become the shadows," he thought, clenching his jaw.

"We cannot cleanse this world from the light."

"...Yes, something here isn't right... where are all of the games? Surely there have to be some games down here, yes? Why else have a downstairs, right Pera?" The Mimikyu blinked and tilted slightly. Hiero gave him a smile and a wink. Ignorance is bliss, they say - if they ran into trouble, it would be best to play dumb. Hiero was hoping to convey that to his Mimikyu without having to outright say it. "This hallway seems pretty large... I bet we'll find something fun eventually if we just keep walking. I know it seems to go on forever, but there has to be something up ahead - let's go take a look!" Hiero began walking down the hall that seemed to have no end, his Mimikyu by his side. Noppera was not convinced of his trainer's fake enthusiasm, but he understood nonetheless. The Ghost-type knew why they were here, and knew that it needed to be alert and ready to attack at a moment's notice, if need be. "At some point," Hiero thought, "something's got to give."

A place where sin is rampant. The sin of Greed. Money changes hands freely here, although mostly from the hands of the players into the hands of the owners. The Casino, which has acted as a focal point for wealth all over the world, was completely suspicious and yet, until now, no one had discovered its secrets. It was like a living singularity; a place outside the normal, where it seems that things were being rewritten. A place that shuns outsiders who do not respect the notion of Greed. One can simply not be virtuous of heart and survive here. Either you would be driven out or be consumed by greed, by lust, by covetousness. Will you be able to keep your wits here as you traverse its halls, or will the Casino's power envelope you as well?

As your small group moves downstairs, it seems that you've evaded detection, for now. What seems to be a bigger issue is that when you come downstairs, it seems that the lower floor of the Casino is far bigger than any of you realized. You come out to a hallway that seems to stretch out forever, with a number of completely undescript doors on either side. None of them are labeled, leaving you all completely confused as to how anyone is able to find there way around here. A look ahead reveals there is an intersection where another hallway crosses the one you are in, but there is no telling what is in that hallway, nor how big it is. You may have potentially walked into something as large and as complex as a labyrinth. Truly things had to be simpler than they appeared to be, right? How else would the Casino even function? Your minds fill up with questions, but there definitely seem to be a few obvious facts. If there is anyone down here, they don't seem to be moving too much in the part of the Casino you're in, and there aren't any security cameras either. The doors look like they could be opened rather easily as well, even if they are locked. The place is also impeccably clean: if you were looking for any stolen goods, cash, or Pokemon now, you'd be sure to come up empty.

Nobody in your group seems to be in any abnormal state. What will you do?

Seiko wordlessly observed one trainer after another reorient themselves all about the mouth of the corridor. She was aghast, bewitched by the purposeful motions of individuals who, unlike her, could actually adapt to changing circumstances.

–Except for that guy. She clicked her tongue and briefly quirked a brow in the direction of the young man who had struck out by his lonesome down the hall. Striding onward without taking proper precautionary measures was to her perhaps the most foolish, ill-advised thing one could do in this setting.

She stole her Croagunk a sidelong look, which the Poison type returned in earnest. Zelos would make for a far finer companion-in-arms anywhere but here. Just peachy, she lamented, instead working alongside her aunt and uncle, contributing his poison secretions to backache-be-gone brews. Back at the house and home she'd run away from. What terrific irony.

Without warning, Zelos turned his attentions to the man who struck Seiko as the most familiar type of the lot: the monk. She had known her fair share of ascetics in her hometown. I should watch him. If he is true to his practice, he has at his disposal means to uncover the truths behind this.

But what can we do?

A realization occurred to Seiko in that moment. The combination of Zelos's sensitive porous skin and his knack for anticipating the strangest things made him a living, breathing sonar… at least, of sorts.

"Zelos, aim the weakest Thunder Punch you can manage at the floor at your feet. Leave your fingers on the floor: as the electricity discharges, remain alert for any possible feedback from power sources nearby."

Promenade of Desires (Marion Ette, Balmund, Naruxami, Rotom310, 134) -
Meanwhile Johto native Tate, having chosen impulse over further consternation, makes meaningful strides away from the casino's entrance. When the trainer deems the distance between themselves and the crowds sufficient, they notice a fork to the right. A paw from Kai alerts Tate to a sign as a truck whizzes past: Loading Docks. The cobblestone course changes to gravel and winds around the back of the establishment; some ways off, the edge of a platform and the corner of something large and cube-shaped can be seen, though it's unclear exactly what from afar.

"Loading docks, eh?" Tate clucks. Excitement abounds in the antsy trainer. Looking down at the Vaporeon, the bird keeper grins broad. "How much you want to bet stolen goods just happen to pass through there? All those missing prizes from other casinos? Pokémon? Eevee?"

Tate knew just how to press Kai's buttons; the Vaporeon stomped her feet. A product of illicit practices herself, she had come to resent the particularly egregious way members of her species were treated; like novelties. She looked ready to dart off ahead, by Tate nudged her with one toe.

"We gotta play this cool, li'l mama," Tate reminded. "If security catches us we're screwed, and I can't go back to jail..."

Reaching down to a braided leather belt, Tate removed a shiny Luxury Ball from among the five others exactly like it which were clipped there on. Pressing the button in the center of the ornate black and gold orb, releasing from its confines an unusually colored Rowlet, her teal feathers glittering in the sunlight. She hooted once, before taking perch on her trainer's forearm.

"Uhane," Tate greeted. "You're our alibi. Kai and I are going to check out those loading docks. I need you to fly ahead, and stay just out of reach. If we get caught... well, I'm just trying to catch my runaway Pokémon, yeah?"

Uhane cocked her head, clearly not impressed with this plan, but saw no reason not to go along with it. Taking clumsy flight on stubby wings, she fluttered ahead, Tate and Kai meandering after her.

This is the main entrance to the Casino – as such, it is substantially guarded and monitored. Entering requires passing through two thick steel double doors, the first of which bears scars of previous attempts by law enforcement groups at breaking and entering. The amount of force required to break through them is probably beyond the capabilities of one Pokemon, or even a team of six. Since everyone in the daylight hours is posing as a trainer in search of a good time and quick riches, however, the doors will open for you... for now.

Once inside, entrants are greeted by a pair of guards on either side of the entryway - an Aegislash on the left, and a Metagross on the right. They wear little guard hats atop their heads with a Jirachi on them to indicate their positions. The Metagross in particular regards everyone with suspicion, but merely keeps an eye on the crowd.

Behind Aegislash are some more practical features of the lobby, such as a check-in counter/help desk, restrooms and a small souvenir shop. There is also an ELEVATOR near the restrooms. Behind Metagross are some plush couches for patrons to sit and relax, as well as the STAIRWAYS leading UPSTAIRS and DOWNSTAIRS. Two more guard Pokemon – an Arcanine sitting calmly by the help desk, and a Machamp in a Jirachi's Casino leather jacket (with four arm holes, of course) wandering about – make four in total.

In the center of the lobby is a massive fountain, lit by natural light from a star-shaped window above. The fountain depicts Jirachi, water spewing forth from his third eye, as statues of various Pokemon swim and play happily in the pool of water below. Behind this statue, one can continue STRAIGHT AHEAD to explore the rest of this floor. If the mood strikes you, of course, you could always turn around and go back OUTSIDE.

There are seven visible security cameras around the room – two point at the front door, one points at the check-out counter, one points at the fountain's back side, one points at the stairwell and one points at the entrance to the elevator.

Where will you explore first?

That day on the Coin Exchange was frustrating for Latte. She hoped to finally spend the coins she had saved for so long, only to discover there was nothing left for her disposal! She double checked her transactions (all either deposits or cash-ins), that supposedly reflected her balance, and yet did not. Latte was more upset than infuriated, that when she saw a secret group who want it out with the Coin Exchange after hours of reading through the issue, she was hesitant. She was, to an extent, a rule-follower, although she didn't understand the ones that seem minute and harmless. Thievery is an entirely different thing altogether. She changed her mind when she realized that there was no way everyone who had accounts had 0 coins and no one in the Exchange appeared to be apologetic.

So, here she is with Mina. Latte tagged her along, because Mina had recently trained to sharpen her senses and awareness of her surroundings. She figured this would be the perfect exercise for the Meditite, in case there was something important they needed to hear. Mina accepted this mission with her Trainer with total calmness, but was thrilled by both a training opportunity and an adventure.

Latte and Mina enter the casino, no problem. Though at first Latte felt slightly uneasy, not just because it was her first time, rather because it was her first time yet she wasn’t there to play the slots. (She wishes that's the only thing she'd do.) The Metagross and the Aegislash scared her a bit, so she tried her best to stay nonchalant and walk right in with her Meditite. Mina, on the other hand, doesn’t care much. She feels the Metagross’ and Aegislash’s watchful eyes on her and her trainer, yet nothing else in the air that was heavy. Besides, the two Pokemon’s eyes were watchful on everyone, anyway.

Latte admires the casino’s lavish lobby decorations: the Jirachi fountain, the star-shaped ceiling, even the displays on the souvenir shop. You wouldn’t think that with the sight of all this and how usual everyone’s going about in this establishment, something was going terribly wrong and dark news enveloped the place. The Casino’s certainly good at hiding that. Well, she’s bound to get answers before this all ends.

“Where to now, boss?” Mina asks, also admiring the decorations, particularly the statue Pokemon in the Jirachi fountain. She points to them. “Are there more of that?” “I guess,” Latte replies, now looking straight ahead. Mina turns away from the fountain and follows the direction her trainer is looking. Latte leads her.

A place where sin is rampant. The sin of Greed. Money changes hands freely here, although mostly from the hands of the players into the hands of the owners. The Casino, which has acted as a focal point for wealth all over the world, was completely suspicious and yet, until now, no one had discovered its secrets. It was like a living singularity; a place outside the normal, where it seems that things were being rewritten. A place that shuns outsiders who do not respect the notion of Greed. One can simply not be virtuous of heart and survive here. Either you would be driven out or be consumed by greed, by lust, by covetousness. Will you be able to keep your wits here as you traverse its halls, or will the Casino's power envelope you as well?

As your small group moves downstairs, it seems that you've evaded detection, for now. What seems to be a bigger issue is that when you come downstairs, it seems that the lower floor of the Casino is far bigger than any of you realized. You come out to a hallway that seems to stretch out forever, with a number of completely undescript doors on either side. None of them are labeled, leaving you all completely confused as to how anyone is able to find there way around here. A look ahead reveals there is an intersection where another hallway crosses the one you are in, but there is no telling what is in that hallway, nor how big it is. You may have potentially walked into something as large and as complex as a labyrinth. Truly things had to be simpler than they appeared to be, right? How else would the Casino even function? Your minds fill up with questions, but there definitely seem to be a few obvious facts. If there is anyone down here, they don't seem to be moving too much in the part of the Casino you're in, and there aren't any security cameras either. The doors look like they could be opened rather easily as well, even if they are locked. The place is also impeccably clean: if you were looking for any stolen goods, cash, or Pokemon now, you'd be sure to come up empty.

Nobody in your group seems to be in any abnormal state. What will you do?

Austin simply waited as the people around him started to investigate the area. It seems that the security room was somewhere in these halls, if he heard correctly. Yet it seemed odd, that no matter where he looked, the place was clean, empty, too quiet. Why would they allow the public into this area anyways? Maybe the rooms in here were special. Though, he could never recall coming down here in previous visits. Maybe... Just maybe there was more here than what meets the eye.

He would let the others here do their electric deductions. The teen wasn't fond of large crowds anyways, and if all of them were caught like this, then, well, that's not going to be a fun time. Looking towards his Ninetales, who also seemed to just be observing the others, he beckoned the Pokemon to follow him. It would be rash to go through the doors one by one, but he was curious on what secrets they held. Walking ahead of the main group, Austin counted the doors one by one. Three... Four... Five... Six... None of the numbers clicked in his head. None of the doors gave him that feeling... Like that something will happen.

As he continued to wander the halls, Austin started to notice more static in the air. Was the guy with the Magnemite starting to play with electricity? It would make sense, with him trying to find the camera room. Sixteen... It would most certainly help them cover their tracks, after all. Yet, something about this felt... off. Where were the guards, the cameras. Something just didn't sit too well with him, and what it was evaded his mind's eye. Eighteen... Nineteen... Twenty... Twenty-One. He stopped. Twenty-one. Blackjack. It was one of the most common casino games in the world. He looked at the door, it was ordinary just like the rest. He saw Nick sitting behind him, also intrigued by the door.

"If it's locked, I want you to break with down with a Zen Headbutt, got it?" Austin whispered to the fox, who nodded in response. He started to turn the handle of the door, wondering what his luck would hold in store for him.

"And here you are, after all. You've always been quite the intuitive one. I'm glad that letter reached you." Duke exclaimed, having apparently listened in to the elite trainer's last line of conversation. With her current get up, he probably would've missed her out of his periphery, but fortunately Duke could rely on his keenest of trackers to help him identify the right person. The Lampent beside her only served as additional confirmation. He himself wore a relatively casual outfit, meant to help him blend in with the casino's patrons: a salmon-colored slim fit shirt; simple capri pants; and a pair of white espadrilles. Golden-rimmed aviator glasses covered his eyes to the surrounding crowd. He wondered if it would take long for her to recognize him.

Marion's scent was something the Seviper could never forget herself, even without the aid of a scent refreshner, though what made it memorable was not born out of an associated sentiment of affection, but rather a desire to enact bloody revenge. From Chris's perspective, what happened years ago, and the consequences thereafter, where all the ghost specialist's fault. Unforgivable. Utterly unforgivable. Yet, the timing was off. Her trainer was watching.

Duke on the other hand did not share on his starter's hatred, though he harbored some conflicting emotions, even now. He wasn't around when Marion returned - as a member of the elite, no less! - and now that she was back, he had to confirm things himself; he wanted to see her eye to eye and gauge just what kind of soul was still hiding behind them. It was his intent to walk and explore around on the outside while catching up with Marion, and talking her into working together, if only, at least, by virtue of their talent alone. If she would have him, that is.

"Hey there!" He pulled up his glasses as he greeted her; forming a small, warm smile in the process. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyuu-Tales

Promenade of Desires (Marion Ette, Balmund, Naruxami, Rotom310, 134) - The winding path oscillates with excitement by night now stretches out unremarkable against the near-noonday sun. Flanking the roundabout trail are carefully-manicured shrubs and trees groomed in close semblance of the casino's namesake, the Wish Pokémon Jirachi. To the left side stands a weathered multi-tiered parking garage, easily capable of storing several dozens of vehicles, from the size of the humble motor scooter to the mighty eighteen-wheeler. At the right is a lovely garden dotted with finery of the most exotic floral sort, replete with plain white gazebos—the seat of luxury for those seeking shelter from the hustle-bustle of the gambler's row. Amidst the open-air structures flows a man-made creek surrounded by bamboo, meticulously tended to by the casino's grounds-keeping crew.

The central hub of activity, steps away from the maddening gates to greed, are crowds bursting with the excitement of every manner of tourist, their hearts on their sleeves and their pockets brimming with monies to match hopes and dreams. As always, fair tidings of the budding day proffer an almost nascent sensibility of prosperity and cheer upon those in attendance.

There are however some present whose intentions run on an altogether different lieu. While they remain largely unawares of one another, this ambitious crew is indeed united in a single cause...

On the outskirts of the masses are two who seem keen on appearances above all. Marion stands astride her partner Gwyn the Lampent, awaiting the arrival of an anonymous ally who promises to provide her with assistance in her endeavors. The soul in question would be none other than Duke and his dour Seviper, Chris; the former waves and smiles in greeting before addressing his long-time acquaintance. However, the exchange does not go unnoticed by the security staff at the gate, whose attentions were commanded by the sight of the Fang Snake Pokémon slithering within a rock's throw of their station.

Closer to the fringes of the crowd Elka make a head towards groomed bush and bramble, alert to anything that strikes the senses as strange or curious. Joined by her Torracat Morgana, she maintains a measured pace while making clever use of her crutches to displace pebbles, stones, and debris. Eventually the pair sidles up to the garden, its flora as made up not unlike a prim-and-proper Furfrou, stalks and branches delicately coiffed to perfection to bring the best out of bamboo leaves. The sandy stones precisely placed within glitter prettily against the sunbeams; closer inspection reveals not one but two odd rocks towards the garden's center, one large and the other small, which do not glisten in quite the same manner as the rest, appearing smooth and waxen in sheen where the others are rough-hewn. Examining either stone in proper would require one to tread deeper into the garden, which is off-limits to visitors. Will Elka trespass to chance a closer look?

Nearby Drew rounds the approach while keeping an eye between Corvinus the Murkrow's location and his periphery. A rendezvous seems unlikely so soon, so the trainer quickly brings his sights singly to rest on the playful greenery dotting the inner perimeter of the promenade. The brush there has been sheared in a myriad of whimsical star shapes which surround a larger-than-life statue of the casino's mascot. As the man studies the statue, the sun peeks out from behind clouds, blinding him for a few seconds. He shirks and squints, but nearly blinds himself a second time as he suddenly beholds a curious scene… a line of light drawn round the bases of the star bushes, barely perceptible to the naked eye. Trip wire. What in the world would necessitate the installation of a security device like that?

Meanwhile Johto native Tate, having chosen impulse over further consternation, makes meaningful strides away from the casino's entrance. When the trainer deems the distance between themselves and the crowds sufficient, they notice a fork to the right. A paw from Kai alerts Tate to a sign as a truck whizzes past: Loading Docks. The cobblestone course changes to gravel and winds around the back of the establishment; some ways off, the edge of a platform and the corner of something large and cube-shaped can be seen, though it's unclear exactly what from afar.

Shadowy creatures nipping at her heels, devious assassins hovering their knives and garrotes within inches of her throat, rooftop snipers aiming their sights directly at her head - any of this would have been preferable to the ambush that truly awaited her. Even the most ruthless Pokemon would have been easier to contend with than the overwhelming, beastly-strong emotions crippling her mind at this very moment at the sight of her former lover and his revenge-driven Seviper. I knew this was trap, Marion thinks to herself, and I should have known... That handwriting...

Thinking quickly, Gwyn subtly casts his light such that his trainer's eyes are obscured by the shadow cast by the brim of her hat, to conceal her reaction. He bows carefully and respectfully to both Duke and his infamous Seviper. Duke's question, though friendly and well-meaning on the surface, takes a long pause from Marion to process - Gwyn cheerfully creates a shadow-puppet of Jirachi dancing to amuse and entertain in that short interim. Perhaps his intent into break the tension...?

"...Busy," she finally responds, somewhat evasively. "Quite busy." She pauses, noting the guard eyeing Chris - she supposed it was rather unsurprising that a creature of Orchrist's power and distinction would catch attention merely by existing. Gwyn, too, seems aware of the current situation, his glowing eyes briefly glancing over to his trainer. Giving a nod to Gwyn, the Lampent silently floats in the direction of the man-made creek to investigate while the guard is distracted. Taking the opportunity herself, Marion decides to engage the guards directly, while they seem so enamored with Chris...

Taking a step closer to the guard station, she gives the guards a smile and a wave. "Y'all don't need to worry," Marion says with a bright, sunny voice - a far cry from her typical, quiet tone, and significantly disguised - "That Seviper over there may be big and strong, but the only person here who has to worry about her is me, hahaha! She still won't forgive me for that snakeskin bag I bought years ago - I still maintain that I thought it was imitation!" She shoots a grin at Duke and Chris before continuing - perhaps a wordless hint to them? "Actually, this is my first time here since the big overhaul, but to be honest, I'm not much of a gambler - still, these grounds look beautiful! What can you tell me about them?"

((OOC: Working on updates for my folks as quickly as I can. Sorry for the wait!))

Promenade of Desires (Marion Ette, Balmund, Naruxami, Rotom310, 134) - The winding path oscillates with excitement by night now stretches out unremarkable against the near-noonday sun. Flanking the roundabout trail are carefully-manicured shrubs and trees groomed in close semblance of the casino's namesake, the Wish Pokémon Jirachi. To the left side stands a weathered multi-tiered parking garage, easily capable of storing several dozens of vehicles, from the size of the humble motor scooter to the mighty eighteen-wheeler. At the right is a lovely garden dotted with finery of the most exotic floral sort, replete with plain white gazebos—the seat of luxury for those seeking shelter from the hustle-bustle of the gambler's row. Amidst the open-air structures flows a man-made creek surrounded by bamboo, meticulously tended to by the casino's grounds-keeping crew.

The central hub of activity, steps away from the maddening gates to greed, are crowds bursting with the excitement of every manner of tourist, their hearts on their sleeves and their pockets brimming with monies to match hopes and dreams. As always, fair tidings of the budding day proffer an almost nascent sensibility of prosperity and cheer upon those in attendance.

There are however some present whose intentions run on an altogether different lieu. While they remain largely unawares of one another, this ambitious crew is indeed united in a single cause...

On the outskirts of the masses are two who seem keen on appearances above all. Marion stands astride her partner Gwyn the Lampent, awaiting the arrival of an anonymous ally who promises to provide her with assistance in her endeavors. The soul in question would be none other than Duke and his dour Seviper, Chris; the former waves and smiles in greeting before addressing his long-time acquaintance. However, the exchange does not go unnoticed by the security staff at the gate, whose attentions were commanded by the sight of the Fang Snake Pokémon slithering within a rock's throw of their station.

Closer to the fringes of the crowd Elka make a head towards groomed bush and bramble, alert to anything that strikes the senses as strange or curious. Joined by her Torracat Morgana, she maintains a measured pace while making clever use of her crutches to displace pebbles, stones, and debris. Eventually the pair sidles up to the garden, its flora as made up not unlike a prim-and-proper Furfrou, stalks and branches delicately coiffed to perfection to bring the best out of bamboo leaves. The sandy stones precisely placed within glitter prettily against the sunbeams; closer inspection reveals not one but two odd rocks towards the garden's center, one large and the other small, which do not glisten in quite the same manner as the rest, appearing smooth and waxen in sheen where the others are rough-hewn. Examining either stone in proper would require one to tread deeper into the garden, which is off-limits to visitors. Will Elka trespass to chance a closer look?

Nearby Drew rounds the approach while keeping an eye between Corvinus the Murkrow's location and his periphery. A rendezvous seems unlikely so soon, so the trainer quickly brings his sights singly to rest on the playful greenery dotting the inner perimeter of the promenade. The brush there has been sheared in a myriad of whimsical star shapes which surround a larger-than-life statue of the casino's mascot. As the man studies the statue, the sun peeks out from behind clouds, blinding him for a few seconds. He shirks and squints, but nearly blinds himself a second time as he suddenly beholds a curious scene… a line of light drawn round the bases of the star bushes, barely perceptible to the naked eye. Trip wire. What in the world would necessitate the installation of a security device like that?

Meanwhile Johto native Tate, having chosen impulse over further consternation, makes meaningful strides away from the casino's entrance. When the trainer deems the distance between themselves and the crowds sufficient, they notice a fork to the right. A paw from Kai alerts Tate to a sign as a truck whizzes past: Loading Docks. The cobblestone course changes to gravel and winds around the back of the establishment; some ways off, the edge of a platform and the corner of something large and cube-shaped can be seen, though it's unclear exactly what from afar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marion Ette

Shadowy creatures nipping at her heels, devious assassins hovering their knives and garrotes within inches of her throat, rooftop snipers aiming their sights directly at her head - any of this would have been preferable to the ambush that truly awaited her. Even the most ruthless Pokemon would have been easier to contend with than the overwhelming, beastly-strong emotions crippling her mind at this very moment at the sight of her former lover and his revenge-driven Seviper. I knew this was trap, Marion thinks to herself, and I should have known... That handwriting...

Thinking quickly, Gwyn subtly casts his light such that his trainer's eyes are obscured by the shadow cast by the brim of her hat, to conceal her reaction. He bows carefully and respectfully to both Duke and his infamous Seviper. Duke's question, though friendly and well-meaning on the surface, takes a long pause from Marion to process - Gwyn cheerfully creates a shadow-puppet of Jirachi dancing to amuse and entertain in that short interim. Perhaps his intent into break the tension...?

"...Busy," she finally responds, somewhat evasively. "Quite busy." She pauses, noting the guard eyeing Chris - she supposed it was rather unsurprising that a creature of Orchrist's power and distinction would catch attention merely by existing. Gwyn, too, seems aware of the current situation, his glowing eyes briefly glancing over to his trainer. Giving a nod to Gwyn, the Lampent silently floats in the direction of the man-made creek to investigate while the guard is distracted. Taking the opportunity herself, Marion decides to engage the guards directly, while they seem so enamored with Chris...

Taking a step closer to the guard station, she gives the guards a smile and a wave. "Y'all don't need to worry," Marion says with a bright, sunny voice - a far cry from her typical, quiet tone, and significantly disguised - "That Seviper over there may be big and strong, but the only person here who has to worry about her is me, hahaha! She still won't forgive me for that snakeskin bag I bought years ago - I still maintain that I thought it was imitation!" She shoots a grin at Duke and Chris before continuing - perhaps a wordless hint to them? "Actually, this is my first time here since the big overhaul, but to be honest, I'm not much of a gambler - still, these grounds look beautiful! What can you tell me about them?"

((OOC: Working on updates for my folks as quickly as I can. Sorry for the wait!))

Marion’s reaction should’ve come as no surprise for Duke, and yet, somehow, he hoped deep inside for something else. What was it that he was fishing for? A sign of warmth? A hint of her former self he had been so enamored with? A hug?! Irrational fantasies, all of them. Despite Gwyn’s best effort to to shield his master’s emotions, Duke didn’t need to peer into her soul to understand what that moment of tense and awkward silence meant. After all, he too shared some of that exact same feeling, and all the anxiety that it caused. In a weird way, however, it was also a bit of a relief. Marion seemed evasive, yes, but not cold. Perhaps if they could manage a nice and honest talk once this was all over, they might be able to clear all misunderstandings and finally be at peace, at the very least.

It was a shame Chris didn’t see it that way. In her eyes, Marion’s defensive and unassertive demeanor was no less than an expression of guilt, for all intent and purposes, and that made her all the more bitter. If she was an Ekans her tail would be rattling loud enough to scare off an entire herd of Miltank… or enough to give a troupe of Ludicolo a veritable fiesta - it was hard to tell the difference sometimes. In its stead, a threatening irritated hiss escaped her clenched jaw. Thus, given her intimidating presence and aggressive disposition, were the guards alarmed and primed to deal with the threat. It was time to play it cool.

“Ah, you must be working all the shifts, I bet.” Duke jested after Marion’s initial response, slipping his shades back on to their neutral position, before she turned her attention to the guards. Duke was so used to walking around with his Seviper in public that he had almost taken for granted how the general public perceived her. As far as he was concerned, she was all puff and huff on the outside, but no real danger to anyone… at least under normal circumstances. It was a good thing the elite trainer had noticed the attention they were drawing, and Duke caught on quickly to the act she was trying to play, grinning as he approached the guards as well. Perhaps if he acted casually enough he could make them believe he was here for nothing else other than leisure.

“To be fair, it was a very pretty snakeskin purse.” He added. Chris couldn’t help shooting a glance at her trainer, almost as if questioning if he was serious about that remark. She seemed mildly hurt. “But she’s right, my Seviper here is just a big, harmless baby. Sorry if she scared anyone, didn't mean no harm. I’m just the sort of guy who likes to show off his snake wherever he goes!” He raised an eyebrow in self-awareness. “Don’t you wanna, uh, pet my danger noodle?”

Your Magnemite begins trying to trace the electrical signal to its source, but soon runs into a problem, the main problem being that there is a lot more electricity running down here than there was in the elevator. So while tracing it before would be like listening in to a conversation in an empty room with the sink running in the background. Now its like listening to two people walking through a noisy crowd, occasionally whispering, while there is construction and you're getting shot at. Wait, shot at? Suddenly, a jolt of electricity flies from one of the lines in the ceiling, burning a hole through the thin plasterboard and strikes your Magnemite head on. It reels as it takes a shocking blast, and after it recovers, it finds that it cannot trace the electrical signal anymore. Almost like it was gone. But it does find that there are a number of high power zones on this lower floor. One seems to be pretty close, and you should reach it if you go forwards. One is far away and too the right, probably requiring you to go to the intersection and see what is beyond it. The other is right in the sweet spot between the two, a good distance away but not seeming to be too far. It also seems to be the biggest electrical zone on this floor, so there must be something really important there.

But suddenly, you find yourself in the bathroom again. I guess that getting hit by an electrical bolt was probably a good sign of "trouble" at any rate. Looks like if you want to find the security office you're going to have to make your way back downstairs, and probably without security knowing what you've been up to. I guess this means you're out of my hands now...

Odysseus gained one Level!

What will you do?

Medmana:

Your Woobat eagerly listens to your command and presses her nose up onto the door, using her echolocation to see if there was anything odd with the room. Indeed, there definitely seemed to be, so she made a cute little heart stamp on the door. She continued using her echolocation to stamp out bizarre spots wherever she could find them...and soon it seemed like most of the hallway was covered in cute little stamps. Your Woobat seemed to be a bit confused about the whole situation. Was something messing with her ability to echolocate? That seemed likely, but your Woobat continued to dutifully keep checking everything. Out of the collage of stamps, something peaks your interest. There are a couple of doors, right next to each other, with no stamps on them. This might seem like the opposite of what you were looking for, but if someone was messing with your ability to properly see what was in these rooms, then maybe whatever was being hidden was being hidden in the best way possible: in plain sight.

It seems like these rooms were the only rooms in this part of the hallway, and farther down it seems, that were left untouched. So there must be something hidden there, right? If everything else was a false positive, then this must be a false negative. Of course, opening doors down here could be a bad thing.

Your Woobat gained one level.

What will you do?

myahoo:

You go down towards the intersection, looking to see if perhaps there might be something more interesting than just more doors down the other hallways. Unfortunately, that's all you find. Just another hallway that looks like it could be endless as well. Even more despairingly, you're pretty sure there are even more intersections further down! This place is probably a literal underground labyrinth, impossible to navigate without knowing where you are going. Of course, maybe its really not what it seems? There is no way these hallways could be endless, of course, that would defy the laws of physics. You try to see if there is anything else worth looking at, any gleam of information that would make things more interesting, when suddenly you see one of the doors open.

A Rhydon walks out, and turns to the left, going down the hallway some distance before entering another door. You estimate that's probably about twenty doors down from the first one, although from this distance its a little hard to accurately pinpoint it. You're at least thankful that the Rhydon didn't notice you; it probably wouldn't be the negotiating type anyways. However, if it came out of a door, that must mean there is something in there obviously. Maybe that would be worth checking out? Of course, there could be more security as well.

What will you do?

Maskerade:

Your Gastly complies, curious onto what is going here as well, and turns invisible, going through one of the doors. You wait patiently for him, so that you know which rooms to look in and which ones to avoid. Five minutes turn into ten minutes, which turn into fifteen, and you notice that other people have already started to pursue their own options. That's odd, where is your Gastly? Not all of these rooms could be empty, could they? That's preposterous. There had to be something down here, after all. You wander around a bit, aimlessly as you notice all the bizarre stamps on the walls. Why was the Woobat doing that, you wonder. You walk in front of one door, and something about it feels rather odd to you. Maybe its because you're a monk and have some manner of spiritual training, but you feel some kind of dread coming from the other side of the door. Of course, that means it must be investigated, right? You walk forwards a little before catching yourself. The feeling was gone. What, exactly, was that?

Suddenly, you see your Gastly in front of you. It seems to be leading you to the door, saying there is something on the other side of it. That feeling of dread you felt before though makes you a bit hesitant on going in. Of course, it was your Gastly trying to get you to move forward, almost eagerly so, so maybe it was just you being a little nervous?

What will you do?

Deoxys:

You and your Mimikyu are ready to explore this place, and that means tackling the most insane part of this underbelly first: the endless hallways. Surely that couldn't be possible, if you just walked down this hallway long enough, it would definitely end. You both walk down it, and while it may not be endless, it sure definitely has been a long walk. A small bead of sweat drips down your face as you feel the exertion start wearing you out, when you squint. There seemed to be something off in the distance. You walk towards it, noting that there is flashing lights and what sounds like some kind of music being played. The kind that you hear from slot machines, maybe?

You find what you're looking for: not only the source of the lightshow, but also the end of the hallway. Some great optical illusion that was, and you approach the slot machine. It definitely was pretty gaudy, even by casino standards, and the name of the machine was called "The Black Huntsman." Curiously, contrasting the shining and brilliant exterior, there were a number of things that seemed off about it: the level looking like the stock of a rifle, and from what you could see of the reels, it looked like the symbols were of various things you wouldn't see on a slot machine: wolves, bullets, at least two different types of guns, and a cartoon demon face. Pretty odd for a slot machine. Even more odd was the fact that there didn't seem to be anything to put money into it. Were you just supposed to pull the level? Would it even work that way?

What will you do?

Kyuu-Tales:

Your Croagunk, Zelos, complies, and charges up a weak Thunderpunch, ready to punch the floor. He swings his fist, planting it into the floor and allowing the electricity to dissipate, before immediately receiving some kind of feedback. That's odd, it felt like it was right underneath him. Suddenly, the floor opens up and Zelos drops down, causing you to panic and get on the floor, looking over the edge of the hole. It seems that there was some kind of mechanical door underneath you, and that an electric charge was needed to open it. Pretty clever, as that means it would be basically untraceable unless you knew where to look. You call out for Zelos, and your Croagunk responds back. Suddenly, a light turns on beneath you and you can see him. It seems like he's uninjured, as it was not a particular high fall, and you can see what looks like a ladder on the wall closest to you. Probably better to take that down instead of making the jump, I would think.

In front of the Croagunk is a door, and as far as you can see, there doesn't seem to be any security measures on it, but it does look different from the other doors up in the hallways. Of course, its a little difficult to see from this angle. Whether you want to go down and see what's down there or have your Croagunk come back up is up to you, however.

Your Croagunk gained one level.

What will you do?

Litwick:

You open the twenty-first door, finding that its not unlocked in the slightest and push it open. You ready yourself in case you find some kind of trap, but find that's not the case, and instead, you seem to be in some kind of storage room. Of, ironically enough, blackjack tables. More blackback tables than the eye can see, in fact, and definitely more blackjack tables than any casino would ever feasibly needed. Even if every table in Caesar's Palace was destroyed ten times over, you still would have more than enough tables to spare here. Why would this place need that many tables? It simply didn't make any sort of sense. You wander through the room, trying to see if you can spot anything else. Your Ninetales deftly moves between table to table, and you look at them in more depth. None of them were stocked with any amount of cards or chips, but that probably made sense. You also see something curious with one of them. A ring carved into the wood, with the word M A M M O N written next to it. Mammon? Was that the name of the casino or the owner? You feel the wood to see if there was anything there, and like magic, just as your fingers touch the M, a secret compartment opens up!

It opens easily, and you see a number of things inside. A number of rings, all unfortunately plastic, and a scarf that you feel, noticing that its definitely silk. Wait? A silk...scarf? You seemed to have lucked out and found a Silk Scarf! As you put the item into your bag, you find a piece of paper at the very bottom of the drawer, taking it out and reading it.

The Path to Wishes (Raves, Heather, Meetan, Sandaa, Kawaii) – Five among you choose to move straight ahead from the lobby, where the Path to Wishes awaits – or so it is called by the massive yellow neon sign overhead. At first, this “path” appears like a dead end – a short, dark blue corridor with no windows or doors, the ceiling and upper walls painted to look like the star-studded night sky. Tiny openings in the corridor open up every so often, with an animatronic Jirachi head peeping through at guests walking by... To delight or frighten children, depending on their views regarding uncanny valley facsimilies of Pokemon – and is this ever one of them! Eerily lifelike eyes in an incredibly fake, plastic body – in some cases, the creators were too lazy to bother even with that, and just have the head on a somewhat obvious metal stick. This peeping Pokemon appears to be triggered by motion, and seems downright suspicious, though it's hard to place exactly why. In times past, when Jirachi's Casino was only a single-floor building, this room would have been where the old Starter Slots and Roulette would be located. The tiny slot machines and old roulette wheel sit awkwardly at the “end” of the path, but the faded lights blinking on the faces of the slots are just enough to illuminate two signs. One, which reads “FAME”, points to the right. The other, which reads “FORTUNE”, points to the left. “FAME” has a little hamburger/soda icon on a sub-sign beneath it, indicating some sort of food available, and both paths also have a sub-sign for “RESTROOMS”... for those of us with simpler, more immediate desires.

The corridor has no security cameras, and is mostly featureless, save for a suspicious patch in the wall that looks like a door might have been painted over. The only guard, a Pupitar at the end of the hall, wiggles with intimidation at the sight of visitors, his hat two sizes too small. Feeling he has done his guarding job for the day, he goes back to staring longingly at the big roulette wheel, which he no longer has arms to spin... perhaps one day.

Kawaii attempts to pull the lever of one of the slot machines, but without coins, the machine is inoperable and the lever won't budge. It does seem like the coin slot was enlarged somewhat, as if to fit a larger denomination of coin than the typical Casino Coin.

We all must follow our own paths to achieve our heart's desire. Which paths will you take?

.

Kawaii stood up, thinking that this was going nowhere “well Frieghya, let’s split up.” She wondered out loud, “You take fame I take fortune?” she asked. The Espeon shrugged and slunk down the fame path.
Kawaii wandered down the fortune path, flinching at every time the Jirachi robots moved. She still had flashback of the game that went viral online a while back. Something about a haunted pizza place with animatronics. A Ursaring, a Diggersby and a Combusken who were being controlled by the spirits of dead children. It was chilling and fascinating and the female trainer had gone through phases of liking the game and hating the hype around it. Even if it was just a game she was still suspicious of the robotic pokemon. Sure, now she was used to being jump-scared by the animatronic demons, but she was still jumpy around real animatronics. Especially the ones that were barely disguised and those metal innards were showing.
Meanwhile Frieghya sniffed around the hallway of fame. The electronic figures freaked out the espeon too but she was much braver than her trainer. The fact that they were separated was the thing that bothered her. Kawaii had high anxiety, depression and OCD and the psychic type was usually there for her. They had been trying to get into different adventures and try some time apart but her trainer always needed her in the end. Frieghya hoped the young woman would be alright without her. If all else failed she could call her psychically.

__________________
FIZZY BUBBLES INFO IS NOW ON UPNHERE
Thanks to my best friend Missingno Master for the banner
óÓŇň furry, witch, and pansexual.
IM SORRY MY RPS ARE SO SHORT
For my baby :
"And we all say,
Oh well I never
was there ever
A cat so clever
As magical Mr. Mistofolese"
R.I.P. buddy, I miss you.

Your Gastly complies, curious onto what is going here as well, and turns invisible, going through one of the doors. You wait patiently for him, so that you know which rooms to look in and which ones to avoid. Five minutes turn into ten minutes, which turn into fifteen, and you notice that other people have already started to pursue their own options. That's odd, where is your Gastly? Not all of these rooms could be empty, could they? That's preposterous. There had to be something down here, after all. You wander around a bit, aimlessly as you notice all the bizarre stamps on the walls. Why was the Woobat doing that, you wonder. You walk in front of one door, and something about it feels rather odd to you. Maybe its because you're a monk and have some manner of spiritual training, but you feel some kind of dread coming from the other side of the door. Of course, that means it must be investigated, right? You walk forwards a little before catching yourself. The feeling was gone. What, exactly, was that?

Suddenly, you see your Gastly in front of you. It seems to be leading you to the door, saying there is something on the other side of it. That feeling of dread you felt before though makes you a bit hesitant on going in. Of course, it was your Gastly trying to get you to move forward, almost eagerly so, so maybe it was just you being a little nervous?

What will you do?

Despite being aware of Shiou's innate ability to materialize and vanish at will, Sai was yet to get used to the Gastly's sudden appearances. And after a good while of waiting, he was naturally startled when the gaseous being Teleported right in front of him with a massive grin on its face.

"Oh! You've returned my friend; have you found anything worthwhile? Because I believe I might have..."

Indeed, both the human's and the Pokémon's hunches both led in the same direction - a nearby door which filled the monk with dread, for some inexplicable reason. But lingering concerns aside, he felt more compelled to come up with some manner of contribution now that everyone else seemed to be getting their bearings on the situation, the strangely-named Phantump Thieves catching on to potentially valuable leads one by one, until only he, the foreigner monk, remained in the dark. If only for that, he would cast aside his fears, and if Shiou considered the nearby room worthwhile, then he would comply.

Because although I stand nothing to gain, I still hate to lose. As much as it pains me to admit it, I have not yet cast aside all worldly desires, and in the face of such capable Trainers all finding their own way around this conundrum, I find myself craving success of my own... Forgive me, Sage Samanosuke. I should be more selfless, should I not?

With Shiou again taking refuge in the monk's shadow, away from prying eyes, Sai walked over to the door that the Gastly had shown him and that he, too, had sensed as potentially revealing. His movements were slow, pondered, deliberate; no good would come from rushing inside like an idiot, as if what they were all doing wasn't already suspicious enough to anyone who happened to run into them (speaking of which, where was all the surveillance?). He placed his hand on the door handle, closed his eyes, took a deep breath... and turned it.

Arceus be with me. And hopefully you too, Shiou.

It could be a trap; Sai still wasn't entirely sure to what extent he could actually trust his ghost companion. But it was all he had to go on, to make a difference in this investigation - even if he was walking straight into the Pyroar's den, at least the others would know what not to do. If only for that glimmer of a contribution, he would risk it. It was time to see what was on the other side of that door.

Who's ready for a new event co-ordinator? I know I am! I'll be picking up Raves, Meetan, Heather, Sandaa, and Schala. I know I'm coming off from Marion but I'll do my best!

Raves-

The Pupitar guard is more than happy to help you out, and starts to try and operate the Roulette Wheel for you. It seems that the machine hasn't seen much attention since the changing of staff and the old regulars seemed to have disappeared from the casino itself. The place, despite its glitz and glamour, was dull and lifeless. You watch as the machine eats your coins, and the Pupitar looks in amazement as you pull the lever. The ball rolls around, and around, and around... until it lands on Green Wynaut. A small flashing light over the machine starts to flash, signalling JACKPOT!!! The Pupitar's eyes widen, looking ecstatic. However, no coins come out from the machine. The Pupitar gives it a headbutt, but still it just flashes Jackpot. The Pupitar seems to disappear for awhile, and then comes back carrying some strange band on one of its horns. It seems to have been a Binding Band, and offers it to you. You quickly pocket it and thank the Pokemon, and the Jackpot light seems to stop. On further inspection of the item, you notice indentations, marks similar to cogs. Why would someone jam the machines? Maybe there were more in them then appeared?

Meanwhile, your Honchkrow flies down the path of FORTUNE. Many new attractions are in this shiny room, from new and improved slot machines, various card games, and even a designated smoking area. Patrons fill the room with laughs as they spend various Pokedollars on the new attraction. It seems that even the casino itself has moved on with the times, causing the old slots and roulette to be put before the diverging paths of FAME and FORTUNE. With all of the people here, it would be hard to sleuth without a trainer. Your Honchkrow flies back and relays what it has seen.

What do you do?

Meetan-

You send your Snubull to sniff out the area around you as you start interacting with the Jirachi animatronic. You act as a crazed tourist as you take pictures and selfies with it, its robotic face never changing its eerie expression. Thinking that you've spent enough time with the robot, you go and try to find your Snubull. Just as you leave the animatronicm you feel your phone buzz. 1 New Text Message. Number Unknown.

"Please don't go."

Looking around, you look for anything strange. You know that you joked about the Phantom Isles, but that didn't suddenly mean this place had to transform into some place from there. Before you can respond, another message pops up, and then another, and another.

"Help me."

"I want out."

"Save me."

At this point you turn to look at the Jirachi animatronic, who's soulless eyes is staring directly at your's. You slowly put the phone down, and wonder what's going on. Is there a dead child in there? It didn't smell like rotting flesh, and was a bit too small to effectively stuff a dead body in.

Your phone buzzes once more, and this time its a picture. Looking at the picture, it was one of the selfies you took earlier. But instead of just the animatronic Jirachi behind you, you see a Shuppet floating where the head is. Close to a dead child, but not exactly one. Your phone buzzes once more.

"I've been trapped in this thing for weeks. There's something in here that prevents ghosts from shifting out. Please ma'am, help me."

This Shuppet might know something that could prove useful for you at night, and one of the last things you needed was a blood crazy robot running around trying to kill you.

What do you do?

Heather-

As you order your Misdreavus to do some reconnaissance, you sit down and play one of the new mobile games taking the realm by storm. Not long after you finish feeding your Magikarp, Magus appears in front of you and starts to explain his discoveries.

"There is something behind the suspicious patch, that much I can tell you. What though, I can't. There seems to be some sort of blocker on the ethereal there, and even using mental probing there's a strong barrier there. I suspect it has something to do with the Jirachi animatronic, as there are similar qualities to it. Yet, there is something inside of the robot too. What is there, I honestly can't say. If you want to try and figure out what's behind that patch, you'll need some brute force. At the moment the guard is a bit distracted over at the roulette, so even if you wanted to do so, I would high advise not to break into that place until the night time. At this point I would suggest it would be best to explorer other areas, there isn't much just the two of us can do here at once," he explains to you, giving the best explanation of his findings to you that he can.

It would seem that at this point there really wasn't much the two of you could do without possibly teeming up with others. Though, why was there such a strong anti-ghost and presumably anti-psychic barrier in this area. What could be hiding behind that patch of wall that could be so important to keep hidden from both the public and prying eyes. Perhaps the night will reveal answers the day can't. At this point, it looks like there isn't much else here for you. There were still the FAME and FORTUNE paths to as well.

What do you do?

Sandaa-

You and your Aipom make a beeline towards the bathroom after heading down the FAME path. After giving Scurvy your plan, you heads towards the exit of the bathroom. As you leave through the door, you feel a small weight on your shoulder as the purple monkey already rejoin you. That was certainly quick. Were there no vents in there? Or they could've been too small for even an Aipom to go through. Regardless, you look over the FAME area.

There various attractions could be seen around the room. The areas they were in were distinct, but all of them looked fun and exciting. A central stage was easily noticeable in the room, where a variety of different music and comedy shows were held at various times of the day. A few restaurant entrances lined the walls, from an all-you-can-eat buffet to a steakhouse to even a karaoke bar. Some of those cheesy mall photo booths were littered around the floor, and they seemed popular with the tourists who swarmed the area. Of course, there was also the food court, which had a cheaper selection of foods that were everything but healthy. Lastly, you see an arcade for the younger kids, with a prize corner in it. Seems Jirachi was trying to promote gambling regardless of age.

You see a Pangoro and Miltank standing guard at the stage, seemingly nonchalant about their job. Security Cameras were placed to cover wide areas, and there were at least two at every restaurant entrance and even more in the floor proper. You notice a Persian and a Luxray commonly circling the room, and a Gardevoir sitting at the prize stand. Every so often, a Furret can be seen at the entrance to the arcade before disappearing again. It seems that this area is heavily guarded despite the only valuables being in the arcade. Yet, oddly, it felt that the guards frequented the stage more than the arcade. What was there? There wasn't a show going on at the moment.

What do you do?

Schala-

After conversing with the eerily robotic woman and your Purrloin, the two of you decide to explore the rest of the floor. As you make your way through the central hall, you notice a sort of creepy Jirachi animatronic. A woman seems to be standing in front of it, looking at her phone and then the animatronic, perhaps she was texting her friend about how unnerving the attraction was? As you make your way down a bit further, you notice a suspicious patch in the wall, as if it was a door painted over and the handle removed before being filled in. A girl and her Misdreavus sit across from the patch, but they don't seem to be doing anything important. As you head towards the end of the hall, an all too familiar sight for most denizens of these lands appears. The infamous Starter Slots and Roulette Table. A man seems to be at the Roulette Table with the Pupitar guard, who looked to miss the days of being a Larvitar. Suddenly, a Honckrow appears and swoops down to perch on the Man's shoulder. Looking at the direction the bird came from, you notice a hallway with the word FORTUNE hanging over head. The other pathway has the word FAME hanging above it. At this point, Nyx started to claw towards the FORTUNE hall. Maybe it was the Purrloin's natural instinct for theft or money, or it could just be her being a cat. Regardless, it was one of the two places to explore.

Your Woobat eagerly listens to your command and presses her nose up onto the door, using her echolocation to see if there was anything odd with the room. Indeed, there definitely seemed to be, so she made a cute little heart stamp on the door. She continued using her echolocation to stamp out bizarre spots wherever she could find them...and soon it seemed like most of the hallway was covered in cute little stamps. Your Woobat seemed to be a bit confused about the whole situation. Was something messing with her ability to echolocate? That seemed likely, but your Woobat continued to dutifully keep checking everything. Out of the collage of stamps, something peaks your interest. There are a couple of doors, right next to each other, with no stamps on them. This might seem like the opposite of what you were looking for, but if someone was messing with your ability to properly see what was in these rooms, then maybe whatever was being hidden was being hidden in the best way possible: in plain sight.

It seems like these rooms were the only rooms in this part of the hallway, and farther down it seems, that were left untouched. So there must be something hidden there, right? If everything else was a false positive, then this must be a false negative. Of course, opening doors down here could be a bad thing.

Your Woobat gained one level.

What will you do?

Ami's spirits rose when Nadie stamped the first door, then sank steadily as he marked more, and more, and more, and more of them. If they all came back as different, wouldn't that make them all the same?

She looked around as the Bat Pokemon continued their (increasingly confused) work, noting that all of the trainers seemed to have gone their separate ways even with the big man's offer. Not that it likely mattered too much- with everyone using different methods, it was likely that they would get different information, which would likely prove to be advantageous should everyone return for the true raid later in the day. For now, however, she needed to stay patient...

At long last, the woobat reached the intersection. "Alright Nadie, that's enough!" the girl called out, just loud enough for Nadie to hear but (hopefully) too quiet fro any hidden guards to pickup through the doors. She carefully scanned the doors as the pair headed back towards the each other. Heart. Heart. Heart. Heart. Hea- wait, nothing? And there, right next to it, was another unmarked portal! She couldn't help but smile. Sure, she was hoping that the stamps would be what tipped them off, but it doesn't change the fact that they had found what they were looking for: doors that were different from the rest.

Ami chuckled to herself as she reached for the knob of the unmarked door closest to the exit. She had to admit that whoever built this places had used a clever trick- if she had brought any other echolocating pokemon, she likely would've been fooled. She looked briefly over her shoulder to make sure to make sure her little hero was in fact behind her and nervously pushed the door open. Was it genuinely a Diamond hidden in the rough, or did they have a Club ready to swing down upon them...?

*Nadie was elevated from Lv. 20 to Lv. 21!*
*Nadie learned Air Cutter!*

Who's ready for a new event co-ordinator? I know I am! I'll be picking up Raves, Meetan, Heather, Sandaa, and Schala. I know I'm coming off from Marion but I'll do my best!

Meetan-

You send your Snubull to sniff out the area around you as you start interacting with the Jirachi animatronic. You act as a crazed tourist as you take pictures and selfies with it, its robotic face never changing its eerie expression. Thinking that you've spent enough time with the robot, you go and try to find your Snubull. Just as you leave the animatronicm you feel your phone buzz. 1 New Text Message. Number Unknown.

"Please don't go."

Looking around, you look for anything strange. You know that you joked about the Phantom Isles, but that didn't suddenly mean this place had to transform into some place from there. Before you can respond, another message pops up, and then another, and another.

"Help me."

"I want out."

"Save me."

At this point you turn to look at the Jirachi animatronic, who's soulless eyes is staring directly at your's. You slowly put the phone down, and wonder what's going on. Is there a dead child in there? It didn't smell like rotting flesh, and was a bit too small to effectively stuff a dead body in.

Your phone buzzes once more, and this time its a picture. Looking at the picture, it was one of the selfies you took earlier. But instead of just the animatronic Jirachi behind you, you see a Shuppet floating where the head is. Close to a dead child, but not exactly one. Your phone buzzes once more.

"I've been trapped in this thing for weeks. There's something in here that prevents ghosts from shifting out. Please ma'am, help me."

This Shuppet might know something that could prove useful for you at night, and one of the last things you needed was a blood crazy robot running around trying to kill you.

What do you do?

((It's muh boi, Lit! <3 Glad to have you as an updater. You don't disappoint!))

Alice had been ready to go, curious as to what trouble Samantha might have sniffed out, dug up or otherwise discovered. However, her phone distracted her, and she really was one of those typical youths who rarely went without it. It had an unsurprising pink cover, which by now was a little worn. The number being unknown wasn't exactly an issue to her, but the content of the message was, and the blonde's stomach did a series of flips. Well, holy shit.

What the frick. What the everloving frickl-- what the actual fuck.W. T. F. What the--

Alice lowered her phone to subtly check the animatronic again. This time, she doesn't appreciate how it's looking at her, and when the phone goes she feels her anxiety skyrocket. Still, she's unable to resist, and the selfie explains enough. It also makes her feel less scared, although the story that followed made Alice feel incredibly upset. "You poor baby..."

The trainer is aware that security is insane, so she switches to text rather than talking, lest they be overheard. "Tonight, me and a bunch of others can come save you once the Casino's shut. If you let us know what's trapped you in there, and what we need to look out for so we don't get busted, freedom is all yours." She offered (but also wondered if this was a trick and she'd just fucked everything up), "My name's Alice and my Snubbull is Sammi. Do you know if there are any other Pokemon or people trapped in the Casino, or anything else shady that we should know? This place is pretty sketchy. Do you have a name?"

You open the twenty-first door, finding that its not unlocked in the slightest and push it open. You ready yourself in case you find some kind of trap, but find that's not the case, and instead, you seem to be in some kind of storage room. Of, ironically enough, blackjack tables. More blackback tables than the eye can see, in fact, and definitely more blackjack tables than any casino would ever feasibly needed. Even if every table in Caesar's Palace was destroyed ten times over, you still would have more than enough tables to spare here. Why would this place need that many tables? It simply didn't make any sort of sense. You wander through the room, trying to see if you can spot anything else. Your Ninetales deftly moves between table to table, and you look at them in more depth. None of them were stocked with any amount of cards or chips, but that probably made sense. You also see something curious with one of them. A ring carved into the wood, with the word M A M M O N written next to it. Mammon? Was that the name of the casino or the owner? You feel the wood to see if there was anything there, and like magic, just as your fingers touch the M, a secret compartment opens up!

It opens easily, and you see a number of things inside. A number of rings, all unfortunately plastic, and a scarf that you feel, noticing that its definitely silk. Wait? A silk...scarf? You seemed to have lucked out and found a Silk Scarf! As you put the item into your bag, you find a piece of paper at the very bottom of the drawer, taking it out and reading it.

Austin was a bit surprised when the door opened with relative ease. It seemed that the casino staff really didn't keep this place guarded at all. That was most certainly strange, but something he wouldn't argue against. As if in some ironic twist, what he found in the room were blackjack tables. At least a hundred of them, more likely more. He and Nick quickly started to search the room, to find a strange table with the word Mammon inscribed onto it. Mammon, the demon of greed. Fitting that something referencing greed would be here in the casino. Examining the table, Austin touched the first M, and a secret department opened up from within the table. Rummaging through it, he found a strange note and a Silk Scarf. Pocketing the item, the teen started to read the note.

"What. The. Fuck." Was all he could mutter as he read the note. A bunch of weird ass numbers and something that looked like computer code and suddenly he was casino staff. This had to be a joke. It just had to be a joke.

"Real funny. Real fucking funny," he shouted. What was he supposed to do now, take over the casino? Wait, that's exactly what he should do. If we was an employee now, he should have access to certain things, right? So, where did he go.

"Hey, sorry for yelling magic table. So, uh, where do I get my staff stuff?" he questions it. He is asking a table for help. This is a new low.

You go down towards the intersection, looking to see if perhaps there might be something more interesting than just more doors down the other hallways. Unfortunately, that's all you find. Just another hallway that looks like it could be endless as well. Even more despairingly, you're pretty sure there are even more intersections further down! This place is probably a literal underground labyrinth, impossible to navigate without knowing where you are going. Of course, maybe its really not what it seems? There is no way these hallways could be endless, of course, that would defy the laws of physics. You try to see if there is anything else worth looking at, any gleam of information that would make things more interesting, when suddenly you see one of the doors open.

A Rhydon walks out, and turns to the left, going down the hallway some distance before entering another door. You estimate that's probably about twenty doors down from the first one, although from this distance its a little hard to accurately pinpoint it. You're at least thankful that the Rhydon didn't notice you; it probably wouldn't be the negotiating type anyways. However, if it came out of a door, that must mean there is something in there obviously. Maybe that would be worth checking out? Of course, there could be more security as well.

What will you do?

Aiden wandered down towards the intersection as most of the others focused their efforts on that first corridor, assuming that everyone would (hopefully) eventually meet up to exchange info before the night raid. Otherwise, he'd just be working off what he could find himself and, with no Pokémon to his name, that could be...somewhat difficult.

He glanced around once he reached the intersection and made a face at the sight of another corridor lined with closed doors. That was...annoying. And a bit worrying. Especially if those were more intersections he was seeing past the doors. What was this place, a labyrinth? Who had the money for that kind of thing? For a moment, he wondered if the corridors might be endless, but he quickly shook the thought away. That probably wasn't the case because physics. Probably.

He gave the hallways another look, trying to pick out anything interesting, out of the ordinary, or suspicious so he'd at least have some direction, and spotted a door opening in one of the hallways. Immediately, he hid behind the nearest corner, peeking around it to watch a Rhydon walk out, turn left, walk a bit, and enter a different door. He waited maybe a minute, listening hard for any other footsteps, before taking a deep breath and heading down that same hallway.

It looked like the Rhydon had entered a door maybe twenty doors down from the one it'd exited? He wandered over to its approximate location, looking for any distinguishing marks, before heading back to the door it'd left from and frowning thoughtfully at it. Should he risk it? There could be another Rhydon in there and he definitely wouldn't bet on him if that were the case. On the other hand, it had to have had a reason for being in the room in the first place.

Making a face to himself, Aiden carefully turned the handle and eased the door open, hoping that the door was quiet enough that any occupants wouldn't notice it opening again. If it was occupied and he was spotted, he was closing it as fast as he could and bolting away from the rest of the group. If it was occupied and he wasn't spotted, he was definitely closing it as quietly as he could. If it wasn't occupied, he was slipping in there, so he could close the door behind him and take his time investigating.

Otherwise? He was just crossing his fingers that he didn't trip any alarms and that his excuse would work if he got a chance to use it.

After conversing with the eerily robotic woman and your Purrloin, the two of you decide to explore the rest of the floor. As you make your way through the central hall, you notice a sort of creepy Jirachi animatronic. A woman seems to be standing in front of it, looking at her phone and then the animatronic, perhaps she was texting her friend about how unnerving the attraction was? As you make your way down a bit further, you notice a suspicious patch in the wall, as if it was a door painted over and the handle removed before being filled in. A girl and her Misdreavus sit across from the patch, but they don't seem to be doing anything important. As you head towards the end of the hall, an all too familiar sight for most denizens of these lands appears. The infamous Starter Slots and Roulette Table. A man seems to be at the Roulette Table with the Pupitar guard, who looked to miss the days of being a Larvitar. Suddenly, a Honckrow appears and swoops down to perch on the Man's shoulder. Looking at the direction the bird came from, you notice a hallway with the word FORTUNE hanging over head. The other pathway has the word FAME hanging above it. At this point, Nyx started to claw towards the FORTUNE hall. Maybe it was the Purrloin's natural instinct for theft or money, or it could just be her being a cat. Regardless, it was one of the two places to explore.

What do you do?

Their exploration causes them to pass by some possible areas of interest. Nyx whispers about interesting things in Eskil’s ear as they progress past the fountain and further into the building. A creepy animatronic, a patch of wall that looks like a painted over door, a few people that might or might not be there for a similar purpose (Eskil doesn’t want to risk making a mistake on that front, however, so he leaves them be). All information that could prove useful later, so Eskil mentally files each piece away.

It doesn’t take long to find their next target. One for a spin. Eskil heads straight for the nearest slot machine with little care for the rest of the room, coin weighing heavily in his hand. Nyx, however, seems fascinated by a hallway labelled ‘Fortune’. It’s twin, ‘Fame’, is also visible. Neither thing appeals to Eskil, but whatever has captured Nyx’s attention is probably worth a look.

Nyx sits on his shoulder, paw outstretched toward the ‘Fortune’ hallway, with little care for the slot machine. Her focus slows Eskil’s steps for a moment, but he wants be be rid of the coin before heading further in, so he continues on his path.

“Just a minute, Nyx. We’ll check it out after I use this coin.” Eskil mutters to her as he nears the machine.

“Try to be quick,” She grumbles back at him, still focused on the hallway.

“What’s caught your attention?” He asks, as he goes to place the coin in the machine.

“The faster you finish up here, the faster you’ll find out.” Is the sharp reply. Still in a mood, then. Eskil can’t help but wonder if her behavior is because of this place, or something else entirely. Either way, it is putting him on edge even more than the danger of being discovered. In part because whatever is hanging between them could cause a screw up that gets them caught, of course.

One thing at a time. Slot machine first, and then whatever is captivating Nyx. Then, after this is over, a long talk to discuss what’s really bothering her. Preferably before any actual heisting.

You and your Aipom make a beeline towards the bathroom after heading down the FAME path. After giving Scurvy your plan, you heads towards the exit of the bathroom. As you leave through the door, you feel a small weight on your shoulder as the purple monkey already rejoin you. That was certainly quick. Were there no vents in there? Or they could've been too small for even an Aipom to go through. Regardless, you look over the FAME area.

There various attractions could be seen around the room. The areas they were in were distinct, but all of them looked fun and exciting. A central stage was easily noticeable in the room, where a variety of different music and comedy shows were held at various times of the day. A few restaurant entrances lined the walls, from an all-you-can-eat buffet to a steakhouse to even a karaoke bar. Some of those cheesy mall photo booths were littered around the floor, and they seemed popular with the tourists who swarmed the area. Of course, there was also the food court, which had a cheaper selection of foods that were everything but healthy. Lastly, you see an arcade for the younger kids, with a prize corner in it. Seems Jirachi was trying to promote gambling regardless of age.

You see a Pangoro and Miltank standing guard at the stage, seemingly nonchalant about their job. Security Cameras were placed to cover wide areas, and there were at least two at every restaurant entrance and even more in the floor proper. You notice a Persian and a Luxray commonly circling the room, and a Gardevoir sitting at the prize stand. Every so often, a Furret can be seen at the entrance to the arcade before disappearing again. It seems that this area is heavily guarded despite the only valuables being in the arcade. Yet, oddly, it felt that the guards frequented the stage more than the arcade. What was there? There wasn't a show going on at the moment.

What do you do?

As Gary left the bathroom, he felt Scurvy rejoin him on his shoulder. A little surprised, he turned to face his Aipom. “Plan was a bust, huh?” he asked as Scurvy nodded. “Oh well, let’s proceed with checking out the dining area.” Walking out into the large, open FAME area, Gary’s eyes darted around to take in as much as possible without looking too much like a tourist. There was a central stage where music and comedy shows were held as entertainment. Along the walls were a myriad of different restaurant entrances of great variety, ranging from buffets to steakhouses. Gary’s mouth watered as he began thinking of a juicy steak, but snapped out of it as Scurvy gently pulled his earlobe.

Continuing his observation tour, Gary spotted a bevy of mall photo booths, a food court for cheaper yet unhealthier food alternatives, and lastly an arcade for kids with a prize corner. The most important thing for Gary to note now was the number of guards in the area. The stage and the arcade seemed to be the heaviest guarded, with emphasis on the prize counter. However, the stage seemed even more suspicious to Gary as there was a high amount of activity with the guards despite there being no show going on.

Gary and Scurvy started things off by popping inside one of the photo kiosks, where they would hopefully be safe from the watchful eye of the security cameras above and earshot of any guards. “Okay Scurvy, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to create a diversion, and when the guards are distracted I want you to use your Acrobatics to sneak onto the stage undetected if you can. If you see anything suspicious that you can carry, try to Snatch it like a Thief. If you think you might have trouble getting out of there, distract the guards with a Pay Day. Let’s meet up back here when you’re done to report what you saw.”

Scurvy nodded as he listened to Gary’s plan. Before the two left the kiosk, they took a couple quick silly pictures with the machine to defer any suspicious activity from any passing guards. As they split up, it was now up to Gary to create a diversion. His plan was simple; get a tray full of food at the food court and “slip” in the most spectacular fashion, tossing food and drink everywhere if he had to; whatever it took to get the guards’ attention off of the stage.

Location: Life and love make fools of us all. Gods reject the existence of love and life.

Posts: 1,595

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil'twick

Who's ready for a new event co-ordinator? I know I am! I'll be picking up Raves, Meetan, Heather, Sandaa, and Schala. I know I'm coming off from Marion but I'll do my best!

Raves-

The Pupitar guard is more than happy to help you out, and starts to try and operate the Roulette Wheel for you. It seems that the machine hasn't seen much attention since the changing of staff and the old regulars seemed to have disappeared from the casino itself. The place, despite its glitz and glamour, was dull and lifeless. You watch as the machine eats your coins, and the Pupitar looks in amazement as you pull the lever. The ball rolls around, and around, and around... until it lands on Green Wynaut. A small flashing light over the machine starts to flash, signalling JACKPOT!!! The Pupitar's eyes widen, looking ecstatic. However, no coins come out from the machine. The Pupitar gives it a headbutt, but still it just flashes Jackpot. The Pupitar seems to disappear for awhile, and then comes back carrying some strange band on one of its horns. It seems to have been a Binding Band, and offers it to you. You quickly pocket it and thank the Pokemon, and the Jackpot light seems to stop. On further inspection of the item, you notice indentations, marks similar to cogs. Why would someone jam the machines? Maybe there were more in them then appeared?

Meanwhile, your Honchkrow flies down the path of FORTUNE. Many new attractions are in this shiny room, from new and improved slot machines, various card games, and even a designated smoking area. Patrons fill the room with laughs as they spend various Pokedollars on the new attraction. It seems that even the casino itself has moved on with the times, causing the old slots and roulette to be put before the diverging paths of FAME and FORTUNE. With all of the people here, it would be hard to sleuth without a trainer. Your Honchkrow flies back and relays what it has seen.

What do you do?

Alex watched as the guard hopped towards him happily, as the human made sure to play a little puzzled concerning the wheel in order to buy others some time for their own sleuthing while his Honchkrow took off. As the rock pokemon made glances at parts of the machine, the coin slot, the coloured buttons defining both wheel colours and pokemon, and the start button, he inserted the now-useless coins into the machine in a fashion that ensured the guard never noticed them being old currency. What he could notice, however, was the layer of dust that sat on the roulette wheel, a sign that the past had truly been forgotten, before he settled on the combination green Wynaut and hit the button to start. The Pupitar excited, seemingly genuinely, the ball was released and rolled around the wheel, clattering as it did in a familiar fashion, though Alex never made much notion towards this, until as if by some sheer fortune or twist of fate, the ball settled on a picture of a Wynaut on a green background.

Jackpot. Yet no coins. The Pupitar, first excited, then slightly disgruntled, bonked the machine with its head, in a manner many would be familiar with regarding a faulty mechanism, before looking into the machine. While distracted, Alex heard the sound of wings fluttering back, before the guard popped out from behind the machine with a band of sorts on his head, offering it to Alex. On inspection, with thanks, he realised the object to be akin to a binding band, something that would improve the effect of binding and trapping moves, but more intriguing were the indentations along it. At that, the Honchkrow returned as Alex left the table and looked at the diverging paths, fame and fortune. In quiet tones, he and Fragarath began to discuss their findings.

"Not possible to caw-sult further, too many people in fortune. All blinged up, too tacky, a disgusting sight for my eyes. You?"

"I managed to somehow hit the jackpot on that old wheel, but this," holding the band up as though to show the crow what he had won with a false grin on his face, "was clogging the cogs likely. Always knew those machines were fucking rigged..."

"Then it is caw-lear that much of the new machines would be in a similar fashion, expertly rigged. Typicaw of most of these locations, but there is more to this place than it seems...perhaps we should venture into fortune after all, there are card games and a suspicious smoking area of interest..."

"Smoking? In a 'public' building? That would mean a possible opening. We'll have a look together then, discreetly of course."

Upstairs (Missingo Master, CyberBlastoise, Gemini Spark, EpicSquirtle, morningstar): Keith and Ginny, intending to disperse from the gathering trainers who were now flooding into the Casino - no doubt with intentions entirely similar to their own - headed towards the nearby staircase which led upstairs. As they ascended the flight, they noticed that the surroundings were a little more lavish than the lobby area; no expense had been spared when it came to decorating this area, with intricate gold decorations hanging along the length of the walls and glinting gently in the somewhat softer lighting of the surroundings. Finally, the pair come to the head of the stairs, pushing against two large, wooden doors. They move open with ease, a little creak resonating around the room, and Keith steps inside. He finds himself in an incredibly spacious room - likely situated just above the main room of the Casino itself, and certainly as large as the main floor. Numerous tables sporting different games were spread around the area, but much more interesting were the people - rather, the distinct lack of. The area was barely occupied, and every participant seemed to be dressed up in their absolute best, each sporting fancy apparel and dripping with an air of higher society. Keith is brought to his senses by a deep grunt, turning to his right to see a Machoke with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed and staring at Keith. After a while, the tensed Pokemon simply nods, turning back towards watching the others in the room, and at this point Keith notices others climbing the stairs now behind him, a rather weird group in their own right.

Bill and his Squirtle, Error the Magneton, Hyrem and his Froslass, Athena and her Snubbull all stood in the doorway, frozen in place by the beady eyes of the Machoke. It was clear that the Fighting type was becoming suspicious of such a large gathering of people, so it would likely be best for the group to split up as soon as possible. As those within the group look around to take in more of the surroundings, they realise three corridors leading deeper into the floor - with the door behind them situated at the south side of the room, the corridors each led off in the other three cardinal directions, north, east and west.

Bill saw some very familiar faces on his way through the casino. He was at least happy to see that he wasn't alone in this mission, something that was...well... a different feeling. Normally he'd be by himself with his Pokemon, this was a wonderful change of pace. As he and Silver ventured upstairs, he noticed very quickly that the security in place, a Machoke, was weary of everyone. But thankfully everyone else had noticed this too, as people started to split their different ways. One went to the left, another to the right, and one went to the Machoke itself. That left one hallway for Bill to go through, the north one. As Bill passed by the Machoke, he gave the Pokemon an acknowledging nod.

Silver, picking up the same cue as Bill, pretty much followed the trainer. "Squirt!" it yelled at Bill. Its stubby legs were still something it needed to get used to. Granted, even as a Blastoise, Silver was pretty slow, but this form was a lot easier for it to trip up, and as such it needed to take things a lot slower. Bill waited for his Pokemon before picking it up and putting it on his shoulders.

"Don't worry, maybe we'll win enough rare candies for you to evolve soon, buddy," Bill said. Truth be told, he hoped that he would find some way to evolve Silver soon, his Pokemon aren't exactly battle-ready. His steps started to become relatively louder to him as he started to wander alone in this direction.

Your Magnemite begins trying to trace the electrical signal to its source, but soon runs into a problem, the main problem being that there is a lot more electricity running down here than there was in the elevator. So while tracing it before would be like listening in to a conversation in an empty room with the sink running in the background. Now its like listening to two people walking through a noisy crowd, occasionally whispering, while there is construction and you're getting shot at. Wait, shot at? Suddenly, a jolt of electricity flies from one of the lines in the ceiling, burning a hole through the thin plasterboard and strikes your Magnemite head on. It reels as it takes a shocking blast, and after it recovers, it finds that it cannot trace the electrical signal anymore. Almost like it was gone. But it does find that there are a number of high power zones on this lower floor. One seems to be pretty close, and you should reach it if you go forwards. One is far away and too the right, probably requiring you to go to the intersection and see what is beyond it. The other is right in the sweet spot between the two, a good distance away but not seeming to be too far. It also seems to be the biggest electrical zone on this floor, so there must be something really important there.

But suddenly, you find yourself in the bathroom again. I guess that getting hit by an electrical bolt was probably a good sign of "trouble" at any rate. Looks like if you want to find the security office you're going to have to make your way back downstairs, and probably without security knowing what you've been up to. I guess this means you're out of my hands now...

Odysseus gained one Level!

What will you do?

Jayson now found himself back in the bathroom, at least his fallback plan had worked, it would be helpful knowing he could rely on the maneuver in the future. He had a couple of options, he could go back downstairs and continue his mission to try and find the surveillance room. Doing that would likely put him at greater risk and they had learnt that finding the room wasn't exactly going to be easy. He would leave that for now he thought, instead he would relax a bit and wait things out. He had saw someone collect a few coins from the check in desk when they came in, maybe it was worth having a spin and seeing how his luck played out?

Jayson really considered playing it safe but a buzz from Odysseus reminded him that they came in here with a mission. They had already come so far, they might as well continue on the path they started."Teleport us straight back downstairs Odysseus", if they walked back down there it might be a bit suspicious, there was no guard downstairs with them so Teleporting back in made the most sense."When we get down there we are going to go to that middle room, the one with the massive electrical output." They were risking a lot going back downstairs, but Jayson was confident they could make a big find that would prove useful during the next phase."Alright Odysseus, I'm ready when you are", Jayson prepared himself for another warp, he was still getting used to the sensation.